Post on 15-Oct-2015
description
Jason ChanArticlesSketchbook of Joel Carlo
InterviewsCraig Sellars, Jason Chan & Jan Ditlev Christensen
GalleriesMichael Kutsche, John Wallin Liberto, Levente Peterffy, plus more!
Making OfsHead Hunter by WanKok Leong, Half-Octopus Thief by Chuck Wadey, plus more!
TutorialsSpeed Painting by Marc Brunet & Nick Oroc, plus more!
ArtistIssue 030 June 2008 $4.50 / 3.25 / 2.25
Concept Art, Digital & Matte Painting Magazine
page 2www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Contents
Contents Whats in this month?
Craig SellarsProduction Designer & Freelance Artist
Jason ChanFreelance Illustrator & Concept Artist
Jan Ditlev ChristensenVideo Games Concept Artist
Sketchbook Sketchbook of Joel Carlo
Galleries 10 of the Best 2D Artworks
Stylised Challenge This Months Finalists/Last Months Making Ofs
Speed Painting With Marc Brunet & Nick Oroc
Matte PaintingPart Five: Tips & Tricks of Matte Painting
Creature Concept Part Four of Mike Corrieros Tutorial Series
PerspectiveUnderstanding Perspective with Robin Olausson
Half-Octopus ThiefProject Overview by Chuck Wadey
Cave Dwellers Project Overview by Yap Kun Rong
Head HunterProject Overview by WanKok Leong
MasqueradeProject Overview by Marcel Baumann
Ye Pirate Muncher Digital Art Masters Free Chapter Promotion
About us Zoo Publishing Information & Contacts
EditorialWelcome to Issue 030 meaning a good two and a half years run! Weve had a lot of great feedback about our magazines lately, which is always encouraging for the 2DArtist team, so weve gone all out and aimed to please again this month with our 30th issue! First up, I had requests from our lovely readers for an interview with the fantastic Massive Black artist, Jason Chan... So I got it for you
*winks*! Flick to page 013 for our in-depth interview with Jason Chan and check out the plethora of images that take his signature! Theres something about his skill for painting life into a character that never fails to impress, and Im sure youll all take some inspiration away from his words and works this month. I also stumbled across the talents of Craig Sellars recently and excitedly e-mailed him for an interview, and here we have it for you today! When I see a really great piece of art I feel it. I sit bolt upright in my chair and my heart starts to beat that little bit faster... When I first saw Craigs work I got that thrill, and Im sure that when you
get to page 006 youll see exactly what I mean! You get a real sense of awe and wonderment from Craigs images; the kind of images that just feel epic. Have a look for yourself and let me know if youve discovered any other artists work lately that sends shivers down your spine, and Ill see if I can get in touch with them for 2DArtist! We take all requests seriously, so if youve always wanted to see something in 2DArtist, then youll have nothing to lose by dropping me an email (I promise to reply to all emails as long as theyre not spam!). Our third interview is with Jan Ditlev Christensen, who has yet another awesome portfolio for our eyes to feast on! Jan is a Concept Artist for Deadline Games and youll find out all
about him, along with lots of useful insights into the creation of his works, on page 025. Our Speed Painting Challenge this month is also nothing short of amazing seriously! We asked two top artists, Marc Brunet and Nick Oroc, to each tackle the brief, It was a long way up but they had no choice but to continue climbing! Really great results from both artists, but then we expected no less from these guys really! Mike Corriero this month takes us into the construction of the eyes and mouth as he tackles the head design of his Creature Concept (page 098), and we wave farewell to Tiberius Viris as he rounds up the Matte Painting Tutorial series for us with his tips and tricks for all our budding matte painters. Robin Olausson also brings us a wonderful tutorial on Perspective, which is great for beginners or those who have been dabbling with digital art but finding their images a little off. Take a look and you might just find out
where youve been going wrong (page 106). We have 4 Making Ofs for you again with great artists such as Chuck Wadey and Marcel Baumann, but finally Id like to mention our massive sketchbook article from Joel
Carlo... We are very pleased to be able to represent a huge spread of Joels sketchbook work this month; he kindly sent us this great portfolio of work and we simply couldnt bear to cut any of it down, so we pretty much put our crazy hats on and put together the mega article that youll find on
page 033. Wow, Im exhausted... Enjoy! Ed.
006
013
025
033
055
067
081
091
098
106
112
120
124
132
134
139
EditorLynette Clee
Lead DesignerChris Perrins
LayoutLayla Khani
Bobby Brown
Marketing Lynette Clee
Content Lynette Clee
Tom GreenwayRichard TilburyChris Perrins
Free Stuff!Wherever you see this symbol, click it to
download resources, extras and even movies!
ProofingLynette Clee
Jo Hargreaves
Setting up your PDF reader For optimum viewing of the magazine, it is
recommended that you have the latest Acrobat
Reader installed.
You can download it for free, here: DOWNLOAD!
To view the many double-page spreads featured in 2DArtist magazine,
you can set the reader to display two-up, which will show double-
page spreads as one large landscape image:
1. Open the magazine in Reader;
2. Go to the View menu, then Page display; 3. Select Two-up Continuous, making sure that Show Cover Page is also selected.
Get the most out of your
Magazine!If youre having problems viewing the double-page spreads that we
feature in this magazine, follow this handy little guide on how to set
up your PDF reader...
page 4www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Contributors
Contributing Artists
Every month, many artists around the world contribute to 3DCreative &
2DArtist Magazine. Here you can read all about them! If you would like to
be a part of 3DCreative or 2DArtist Magazines, please contact:
lynette@zoopublishing.com
Chuck Wadey
After graduating from the Art
Center College of Design in
2001, Chuck Wadey got his
start in game concept art by
working on Activisions Spider-Man franchise. In
2006 he spent a year as a freelance concept artist,
working on miscellaneous projects. Now hes the Art
Director/Illustrator for Challenge Games where he
works on casual web games, such as
www.duels.com.
http://www.chuckwadey.com
chuck@chuckwadey.com
Nicolas Oroc resides in Montreal, Quebec,
Canada. He currently works
at A2M as a senior concept
artist/illustrator. With 11 years
experience as an artist, hes worked in publishing,
advertising, and for the last 6 years in gaming.
Within 4 years of experience at Ubisoft Montreal,
hes worked on titles such Prince of Persia Warrior
Within, Rainbow Six Lock Down & Vegas, and
preproduction on Splinter Cell next gen.
http://www.nickorocart.com
nickoroc@gmail.com
Jason Chan
is an up and coming freelance
illustrator and a full-time
concept artist with Massive
Black Inc. Jason strives to
blend aesthetics of both eastern and western art
styles together to create memorable and striking
images. A believer that art should be fuelled by
purpose, Jason strives to fill his work with emotions,
fantasies, fears, life, love and death, to best entertain
his audience.
http://www.jasonchanart.com
jason@jasonchanart.com
Joel Carlo Is a multimedia developer
residing out in Denver,
Colorado. His career as an
artist has spanned over the last
14 years and includes work in both traditional and
digital media, web design, print, and motion graphics
for broadcasting. His client list is varied and ranges
from Commissioned work for small studio projects
to larger clients such as Future Publishing, Burrows
& Chapin, The Ayzenberg Group, NASCAR, Dodge,
Toyota and Fox Television.
http://www.joelcarlo.net joelcarlo@gmail.com
Jan Ditlev Christensen is a Concept Artist working for
a company called Deadline
Games, situated in Denmark.
He attended the Kent Institute
of Art and Design (UK) and
graduated as a Production Designer from the Danish
Design School (DK). His work includes conceptual
art for characters and environments, storyboarding
for a number of short films, illustrations for children
books and matte painting.
http://www.janditlev.dk/
janditlev@gmail.com
page 5www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Contributors
Yap Kun Rong is 21 years old and currently
residing in Japan. It has always
been his dream to go into the
visual arts sector, and he is
currently working as a freelancer and studying. He
wants to see, learn and understand more, and hopes
to get into the games and movie industry to breathe
life into his visions in the future.
http://krypt.cgsociety.org/gallery/
yap.kunrong@yahoo.com
Leong Wan Kok
is an award-winning illustrator,
specialising in character design
and illustration. His work can
be seen in various media,
including art prints, illustrations, posters and comics,
and he boasts a client list from both local areas
and overseas. Sculpting is also one of his great
passions.
http://www.1000tentacles.com/
pkok@1000tentacles.com
Robin Olausson
is a 22 year old freelance concept artist/illustrator from the
South of Sweden. Hes a highly
motivated, self-educated person
who always love new challanges. In the future he
hopes to get work in the games industry, publish his
own comics, and become one of the top designers
and illustrators!
http://www.robin.reign.se/gallery
http://www.ewkn.deviantart.com
tv1000@spray.se
Tiberius Viris
is currently working as a
Freelance Matte Painter/CG
Artist for both the feature film
and games industries, and also
as an Environment Illustrator for various projects and
clients. His work has also been featured in several
prestigious books, such as Expose 5 and DArtiste
Matte Painting 2.
http://www.suirebit.net
suirebit@gmail.com
Mike CorrieroCurrently, Mike produces assets
as a Freelance artist for various
companies including everything
from creatures, environments,
structures, illustrations and icons. Some of his clients
include Radical Entertainment, ImagineFX and Liquid
Development to which he has contributed work for
projects delivered to Flagship Studios and Ensemble
Studios through the art direction and outsourcing of
LD
http://www.mikecorriero.com
mikecorriero@gmail.com
PatriBalanovskyIs a Production/Concept Artist
at PitchiPoy Animation Studios,
Tel-Aviv, in Israel. Hes been
drawing & painting since he can
remember; creating characters, creatures & fantastic
scenes has always been a passion of his. Telling a
whole story through a single image can be quite a
challenge, but hes always up for it! Keeping his work
fresh & versatile, he explores all sorts of genres,
styles & attitudes.
http://chuckmate.blogspot.com
Pat2005b@hotmail.com
Craig Sellars has a background in Industrial
Design and has worked in a number of sectors
of the CG industry, with clients ranging from
Walt Disney Animation to Electronic Arts. He is
currently employed as a production designer in
the games industry and also works freelance.
When I plan an image, one of the first things I consider is the lighting situation and if there is something Ive seen that can be applied to the image at hand.
page 7www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Craig Sellars Interview
Tell us a little about your current job as a
production designer in the games industry. What
does it entail?
I am still doing all the tasks normally associated
with a concept position, such as character,
environment, vehicle and prop designs, but
my involvement during both the pre-production
and especially the production process is much
more involved. While specific job titles and
roles vary from studio to studio, I am part of a
small group of key people in the development
of a new IP from the ground up. Along with
another colleague, I work closely with the Art
Director of the project on the overall visual
plan, as well as how to achieve it. Because we
have key involvement with the development of
the idea so early on, we can tailor the visual
design alongside the game play and story
creation. The idea is that we can make a much
more cohesive product where the visual design
compliments, and ultimately enhances, the story
and gameplay experience.
Your digital concepts appear to be finely
balanced between realism and a painterly
quality. Can you enlighten us as to how you
achieve this effect and the kinds of brushes and
approaches you typically use?
I think this can be attributed to the fact that
I learned to paint from looking at traditional
illustrators who worked with gouache. When
I first made the transition into digital painting,
I still tended to think in terms of these old
school techniques and worked as if it were an
opaque medium. Ive since started using greater
amounts of transparent brushwork to achieve
things such as the subtle value transitions
or shifts in hue that tend to move the work
toward realism. That also includes dropping
in transparent layers, sometimes made up of
photos or just a loose texture, in an abstract way
to achieve that random but subtle detail that
contributes to realism.
page 8www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Interview Craig Sellars
In terms of brushes, for the most part in the
past I used the standard Photoshop brush set
(like the hard round or spatter brush). I have
picked up some other brushes over the years
and have recently started to create new brushes
to achieve certain textures and emulate certain
materials more quickly. I also work with a couple
of amazing concept artists, Mike Sebalj and
Thomas Pringle, who Ive learned a ton from as
well. I always get inspired by working with other
artists and these guys are no exception.
You mention the importance of other artists in
your development. If you had to name a handful
of key influences in your life, whether it be an
individual painting, a certain film, a specific
experience etc., what would they be and why?
Ive been inspired by the works of a lot of artists.
From a pure painting standpoint, a big one is
John Singer Sargent. He was huge with all the
artists at Disney. I was lucky enough to see an
exhibition of some of his works in LA once and
his ability to capture light and form with such
economy of brushwork is incredible.
As a student in Industrial Design, I was
introduced to the work of Syd Mead, who
was also an inspiration. He is the master of
designing convincing objects, because he has a
complete understanding of how real things are
made.
Some traditional illustrators that influenced me
were Robert McGinnis, Stanley Meltzoff and,
of course, Ralph MacQuarrie. I studied his
paintings and renderings for hours on end while
I was growing up.
In terms of films, Star Wars, as for so many
artists, was a huge inspiration, but other films
with unique or strong visual design such as Dark
City, Brazil, and 2001 were also influential.
There seems to be a definite reference to the
late forties and early fifties in a number of your
concept pieces, barring the western and fantasy
themed paintings off course. Can you explain
the ideas behind some of the work?
I think I tend to gravitate to that genre in my
personal work because it is so different from the
type of material I create in games. I am a big fan
of old school sci-fi films and old pulp illustration.
They seem to have a warm, evocative feeling
to them, but are looked on as kind of campy
or even cheesy. I guess I like the idea of
taking those design cues and visual elements
and giving them a serious or more realistic
treatment.
page 9www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Craig Sellars Interview
A few of your concepts appear deceptively
simple in terms of the convincing lighting. Are
all the scenes purely fictitious or are some
based on real life locations or photographs, such
as the office interior for example?
When it comes to lighting, I try to take note
of interesting light situations in real life, films,
photos and books. When I plan an image, one of
the first things I consider is the lighting situation
and if there is something Ive seen that can be
applied to the image at hand. I always try to
create a lighting situation which will effectively
stage what I imagine may be occurring in the
scene. This is something I learned as a layout
artist at Disney. They are so great at designing
simple lighting situations that not only tell a story
but are graphically interesting.
All the scenes in my work are fictitious, but
definitely inspired by things I have seen. The
office image is, once again, inspired by old pulpy
detective stories.
With reference to particular examples, could you
elaborate on this theory and explain how your
narrative has dictated your choice of lighting?
In cases where a concept is intended to
strictly illustrate a design, the lighting tends
to be designed primarily to showcase the
environment, object or character so it can be
built. But in more story-driven illustrations or pre-
production paintings, lighting is carefully staged
to illicit a mood or an emotional response.
Examples of this could be strong, high-contrast
lighting with sharp, angular patterns of light and
shadow thrown about the environment. From
a visual language stand point, these strong
angular shapes can evoke chaos or imply a
dangerous or foreboding situation. Another
example of a lighting design scenario is the use
of light over dark, or dark over light. Specifically,
this is used in staging the scene of the robot
page 10www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Interview Craig Sellars
in the detectives office. I imagined that in this
scene the man and woman in the foreground
are at a pivotal moment and their intentions
toward the robot and his companion are unclear.
To illustrate this I threw them into shadow and
they become silhouetted against the light wall
behind them. They are not clearly visible, nor
are their intentions.
It is common to find a number of concept
artists in the entertainment sector who have a
background in Industrial Design. Why do you
think this is and what benefit has it been to your
present career?
I think a background or even an understanding
of Industrial Design is a huge asset for a
concept artist in the entertainment biz. Because
an Industrial Designer has an understanding of
how things in the real world are constructed, it
lends an extra level of believability to a design
- which is something I think is lacking in some
games. Even when dealing with sci-fi or fantasy,
a solid understanding of how things would be
constructed or how they work can make the
difference between a design that feels solid,
strong and convincing, and one that seems
arbitrary and vague.
What game examples do you feel demonstrate
some of the most interesting and plausible
design concepts with respect to the
environments and characters alike?
Lost Planet and Half Life2 are both good
examples of this, but I think Mass Effect is the
best recent example. Not only do the visuals
have a distinct and cohesive style, but more
specifically, a lot of the designs look like they
could work; they make sense. They may still
be a bit fantastic, but they look believable and
convincing. You can really tell that someone sat
down and thought about what the functions of
these objects or environments were and how
they would work.
However, there are also games where the
design is unrealistic and not plausible, such as
God of War, but in this case it is an exaggerated
stylistic thing which, if all aspects of the design
follow true to this, also works really well.
In what ways does working in film differ to the
games industry, in terms of being a concept
artist?
In film there is a real established structure to
the concept design process. The Art Director
and/or Production Designer are really in tune
with the story early on and all of the visual
design is created to serve the narrative first and
foremost. In games development, visual design
in particular tends to be an iterative process.
That is by no means meant to say that things
dont change in film, but the nature of game
development, in my experience, requires a lot
of trial and error. Concepts often change to
accommodate that.
Do you find that the amount of revision required
when developing a game can become a limiting
factor, in terms of imposed technical restrictions
during the design process? Or is it in fact the
opposite case?
It can work both ways. There are definitely
times that an overall design of a character
or environment is compromised due to an
unforeseen technical limitation. There are other
times when foreseen technical limitations,
such as the way an environment must be
constructed in a modular fashion, can lead you
to a unique design you may not have come up
with otherwise. I think the key is recognising
limitations early and planning for them.
If you had the choice, what kind of film or game
would be your ideal project and why?
I would love to work on a period piece - maybe
a film noir project or a western. Something like
that would be interesting because the visual
language or iconography of these genres are
already so established and understood that,
as an artist, you could spend most of your time
manipulating and playing with these ideas to
create an real emotional impact.
Craig SellarsFor more work by this artist please visit:
http://www.greensocksart.com/
Or contact them at:
sellarsart@hotmail.com
Interviewed by: Richard Tilbury
At 2DArtist
we welcome all
kinds of suggestions
from our readers,
and we recently had
the pleasure of receiving
requests for an interview
with the popular and talented
artist, Jason Chan. Jason
has very kindly agreed to let us
interview him for this months issue,
so lets get down to business!
As for all of the emotion behind an image, I think that is brought about by every stroke that goes into creating it. If there is no emotion behind something Im painting, it shows..
page 14www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Interview Jason Chan
Hi Jason! Thanks so much for agreeing to this
interview. Without a shadow of a doubt, I know
that youre making many of our readers happy
little bunnies this month! Now for those who
arent familiar with your background as an artist,
I should really start off by asking you to tell us
a little about yourself and how you came to find
yourself where you are today
Well, Im a freelance illustrator and a concept
artist for Massive Black Inc. As a kid, I was
really into movies and video games and I started
learning 3D. I enrolled at the Academy of Art
University of San Francisco, with 3D as my
major, but soon switched to illustration my true
passion and got a BFA. Ive been freelancing
for a number of years now. Most of that work is
focussed in the fantasy and sci-fi market.
I started off doing small projects and RPGs,
and have since moved on to do some trading
card games like Magic: The Gathering, and
a number of book covers. I recently did some
sequential work that appeared in the extras of
the movie I Am Legend. For the past couple of
years I have been working full-time next to a
number of amazing artists at Massive Black Inc.
as a concept artist for games and movies.
So you originally started out studying 3D, but
soon switched over to illustration. What was it
that made you realise, Hey, this isnt for me!?
Do you have any advice for any other artists out
there who might be thinking of making a similar
switch, and how do you think the opportunities
between the two genres differ in todays CG
industry?
Well, growing up when 3D was taking off
and new technology was constantly allowing
filmmakers to turn out new special FX in
movies, like Jurassic Park and Terminator 2,
I was really excited at the idea that I could be
involved in something like that. But at the same time I loved coming up
with characters and creatures, and just drawing in general. I dont think
I really realised I could do that as a job. When I finally did realise I could
be a concept artist, I felt a bit discouraged because I learned how hard it
was to get in the field, so I decided to learn 3D. But once I was in school,
I found that I did in fact have some drawing skill after all and my teachers
and peers encouraged me to go for it as an illustrator and concept artist.
Now that Im working in a studio with both concept artists and 3D artists,
I can see that there is a big difference. 2D artists are the idea guys!
Our job is to come up with ways to show what the client wants.
They might not necessarily be our own ideas, but the job is
a little bit more creative than the 3D teams. Their job is
to take our concepts and recreate them in 3D. While
there may be less freedom in this, it can be very
rewarding to see this idea brought to life. Also, this
will be the finished product that the public gets to
see. I think both jobs are cool, just for different
reasons.
As for finding work Im not sure, but Id bet
itd be easier to get a job as a 3D artist just
because there is so much demand for 3D
work in games and movies!
page 16www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Interview Jason ChanMany 2D artists employ 3D techniques and tools
in their works to gauge things such as scale,
perspective, backgrounds and so on. From
your brush with the 3D world, did you pick up
anything there that you are now able to recall
and utilise in your 2D practice? Or do you keep
the two very separate?
I think that working in 3D can definitely help
you understand form and perspective a bit
better. After I stopped studying 3D, I pretty
much stopped using any 3D at all in my work.
However, lately I have been tempted to brush
up on it and use some 3D elements if it will save
time or make things easier on a project.
So it seems pretty obvious for me to mention
anime at this point. I wonder: what is it about
anime that originally captured your heart, and
what is it in anime that continues to drive and
inspire so many of your great artworks today? Do you have any examples
of your favourite anime films and books that we can check out?
Since I was a kid, Ive always had a fascination with anime, manga, and
just Japanese and Asian culture in general. Im Chinese, but I was born
and raised in America and Ive never been to Asia (yet). I just find that all
of the rules of Western culture dont necessarily apply to Eastern culture
and, to me, thats interesting. When you grow up on American cartoons
by Disney or Warner Bros, and suddenly you watch Neon Genesis
Evangeleon or Akira, they just blow you away! I just thought to myself,
Theyre not afraid to express their ideas! The very adult and sometimes
shocking content in anime really appealed to me, because I was
suddenly aware of how safe and censored our media was. To me, anime
symbolised free expression.
And a good book I think everyone should own is Rakugaking by Katsuya
Terada. Its a 1000-page compilation of sketchbook pages by Terada.
There will be so many people Google-searching that book now -
thanks for the tip! Yes, its very true that by growing up on Western
cartoons, weve been protected by a big bubble of censorship. Which
artists, Eastern or Western, past or present, do you find the most
inspirational in terms of the free expression that they portray in their
artworks? Are there any artists in particular that you aspire to?
There have been a number of artists that Ive found interesting, but
none of them really stand out in my mind at the moment. I dont really
focus on one artist and aspire to be like them; I feel that if you do that,
all you will become is a copycat. Even if you are really good, you will
still be just a good copycat. So when I look at artwork, a lot of times
I dont look because of who is the artist is; the artwork itself is what
attracts me. I absorb what it is about that particular piece that I enjoy
and try to keep that in mind as I continue with my own work.
You mention in your bio that since falling for
anime and studying Western culture, you have
been aiming to marry the two together in your
artwork. Can you give us an example of how
you go about marrying East with West in your
work? How do you tackle and embrace this in
your everyday practice as an artist?
I dont know if I do it as often as I would like, but
I do try to incorporate some Asian aesthetics
into my work whenever possible. I must admit
that this has probably died down somewhat
over the past few years, simply due to what
clients want from my work. Basically, there
are certain aesthetics that are different. For
one, a lot of Asian art is about line, shape,
and design. Western art, on the other hand, is
generally about form and technical accuracy.
Another example is that in America, to depict
an attractive female we try to make her overly
sexy and naughty, whereas in Asia they use a
delicate mix of sexiness and innocence. This is
probably the more obvious one that I use.
Having been browsing your Gallery in awe,
Im totally in love with the life force that you
manage to capture in every single one of
your images. Even though the characters that
you paint are quite clearly anime in style and
therefore our brains dont instantly perceive
them to be real (in realistic terms!), there is
a sense of life behind each character that is
completely undeniable. In a way, you actually
manage to paint situations and characters in an
even more real way than if they were painted
hyper-realistically! What elements of characters,
and the situations that you paint, are key in
making sure you capture this sense of life? For
example, is it all in the eyes...?
Im glad that you feel this way! That is another
thing that drew me toward Asian art: I found
that even though anime and manga did not look
realistic, it was somehow able to express more
emotion than realistic western art was able to.
For me, I suppose it is all about the eyes... I like
to draw faces in a certain way that is probably
not common in normal humans. I find that this
slightly off look catches your attention more
than a completely normal face, and is thus is
more memorable and interesting. As for all of
page 19www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Jason Chan Interviewthe emotion behind an image, I think that is brought about by every stroke
that goes into creating it. If there is no emotion behind something Im
painting, it shows.
Okay, so do you have to get into a specific frame of mind for each piece
that you create, and literally throw yourself into it? Do many of your
artworks actually represent your own personal thoughts and feelings, or
are you able to adopt the mindset of your characters to be able to feel
your way through a painting? That also makes me wonder: do you find
that you can give as much emotion to a digital painting as you can to a
traditional one, or is there a certain distance that the monitor creates?
Yes, if you want to create a successful painting, you have to be giving
it 110%. This can be tricky when you are working professionally, as you
are most likely not going to be working on things you enjoy all of the time.
When I run into this problem, its all about finding something in the image
that I can find some fun in and just concentrating on that. It can actually
be really rewarding to take an idea that you are not too fond of, or even
dislike, and turning it into a piece of art that you are satisfied with.
My personal work is usually jump-started by something either an
emotion or an idea - but I tend to play it up beyond what I really feel, just
for a stronger effect. Sometimes the emotion in my work is not really
something Im feeling, but just something I want the viewer to feel because
I believe the painting will be stronger that way. Working digitally does not
make this too difficult for me. In fact, I find it easier to do this in digital
work than in analogue work because I am free to adjust my painting in lots
different ways that are both much quicker and non-permanent.
Your understanding of anatomy is clearly demonstrated in all of your
artworks and I notice from your bio that you studied life drawing at art
school. Do you have any advice for artists out there, who perhaps dont
have access to life drawing classes but would like to learn? And how
do you keep topping up your knowledge on a day-to-day basis? How
important do you find an understanding of anatomy to be in todays CG
industry?
You must understand anatomy. Period. You might not need to know the
names of everything, but you should have a pretty good understanding
of how it looks and works. Get some books. I have a number of anatomy
page 21www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Jason Chan Interview
and a true understanding of light and colour, as
well as emotion and anatomy. Could you briefly
walk us through some of the fundamental basics
that you consider when starting a new image?
Well, the first thing I think about is the idea.
What am I trying to say with this image? For this
one, I wanted to depict the despair of Pandora
as she opens the box and unleashes all of
the worlds evils. The next thing I think about
is composition. What will look good and help
to tell this story? For this image, I ended up
composing it like she is falling and drowning in a
suffocating darkness with the boxs evil seeping
out above her, polluting her environment.
books and specific anatomy books for artists.
There are a lot out there and most of them are
pretty decent. Study from those; learn the names
of the muscles and their functions. Draw every
image in that book multiple times until you know
the human body like the back of your eyelids. Its
a lot of work but its got to be done if you want
to be able to draw people. To keep yourself in
shape, you can sketch in public. I take a train
to work everyday and I always have a small
sketchbook with me so I can draw people I see.
Draw at a cafe or in the park. There are people
everywhere, so its not hard.
Well it sounds like art is your life and life is your
art, but lets say we happen to find you far away
from the computer and your sketchbook What
would we find you doing to relax and get a bit of
me time in before the next big deadline?
When Im not doing art Im spending time with
my family or my girlfriend. Im also an avid
gamer, a movie watcher, and I like to read when
I get the chance.
I wanted to mention one of my favourite images
from your gallery: Pandoras Box. This image
demonstrates such a beautiful sense of scale
page 22www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Interview Jason ChanFrom there, its just an exercise of technical
knowledge. I have to consider anatomy, acting,
and clothing behaviour for Pandora. I have to
know how stuff looks underwater. I have to
understand light and shadow as well as colour
theory. All of these things, and more, come into
play as I render the image to final.
When you say you have to consider and
understand anatomy, light, colour and so on, are
these all things that you have a well-developed
sense for at this stage in your career? If so, can
you pretty much get straight to work from the
reference library that you have stored in your
mind, or do you still do a big reference search
before starting each new piece?
I still like to use references. I dont always use
models or anything, but I do gather references
for inspiration. For example, if Im drawing cars
in my image, I will need references of cars so
that I understand how they are made and how
light and colour reacts on their surfaces. I might
not draw the same car, but I learn something
from my references that I can apply to my
image. If I am drawing people, I might find
references of people with features I want to
include and just use those ideas as reference. I
only take specific photo references for complex
poses that I have trouble drawing picturing in my
own mind.
From your blog we can see that you quite
recently created a remake of Botticellis
Birth of Venus. How hard was it to take on a
masterpiece such as this and give it your own
spin?
Not that hard, actually. The basic composition
has already been established, so its all about
changing the elements. Composition is probably
the hardest step for me, so having that step
taken care of really makes things a lot simpler!
Wow, I never would have guessed that you
struggled with composition - all of your images
seem extremely well composed. Its good to
have something that makes you work hard
though. What steps do you take to help improve
your understanding of composition and do you
have or use any golden rules that you might be
able to share with us here?
I just spend a good amount of time on this
step when I can. I try to come up with new
compositions that are more interesting and
dynamic than things Ive done before, but most
of the time I find myself falling back into a safe
composition. Im still working on it. Many of my
compositions rely on the rule of thirds and just
central or pyramid compositions.
Finally, after thanking you for this lovely
interview, can I just ask: if you hadnt discovered
manga and anime, do you think the western
approach to art would have eventually
dampened your desire to draw? Or is this art
in your blood and would have found its way
through to paper/screen somehow or another?
Oh, of course not! Although I love art from Asia,
that does not mean I dont enjoy Western art.
My style might have been a bit different, but my
love of art would be just as strong.
Thanks so much for all this insight, Jason. We
look forward to seeing more from you soon!
JASON CHANFor more work by this artist please visit:
www.jasonchanart.com
Or contact them at:
jason@jasonchanart.com
Interviewed by: Lynette Clee
Jan Ditlev Christensen is a concept artist
currently working in the video games industry.
He receives his briefs like anyone else, but as
you read on you will realise that Jan meets the
briefs by focusing on emotion, weaving in a
sense of presence and producing consistently
fantastic work ...
I guess what I am trying to say is that as artists, we do fail from time to time and it is okay as long as we keep pushing ourselves to improve and refuse to give up.
page 26www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Interview jan ditlev christensen
Hey Jan! Youre a bit of a mystery because the
about section on your website just contains
one picture of yourself, so could you please tell
us a little bit about your background and what
you are doing now?
Ha yes! I see what you mean. My website is
under reconstruction and there are some things
that have yet to be updated. Well, I trained as
a production designer at the Danish Design
School, and have been working as a concept
artist for a game company called Deadline
Games for more than a year now. It is a great
place, situated in Copenhagen next to an old
military harbour. It has been amazing (and a
surprise!) to see how much influence concept
artists actually have in the production of
computer games.
Since I was a kid Ive always loved to draw and
paint. My father was really good with a pencil
and my older brother wasnt half bad. My brother
and I always used to challenge each other to
see who the best drawer was and it was here - I
believe - that I found some kind of foundation for
my drawing skills.
Which artists have influenced you the most?
There are a lot! But there are a couple of artists
that stand out. Traditional painters such as P.S.
Kryer and Rembrandt have really impressed
me and have had a big influence on how I see
colours and light. The first time I saw Craig
Mullins and John Wallin I was blown away, and I
realised that this was what I wanted to do for the
rest of my life.
page 27www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
jan ditlev christensen Interview
You appear to pay particular attention to
weather elements in your scenes - theres many
a stormy sky in your galleries. Is there any
particular reason for this or is it something you
just enjoy?
It is funny, but I didnt used to pay much
attention to the sky in my paintings. Now it is
something that I spend a long time trying to get
right. It really is a common mistake to neglect
the sky in paintings. It is here that the light
source that will help determine our colour palette
is found.
Do you rely heavily on references for the skies?
Or do you use them less and less the more you
work?
It varies from painting to painting, and also
depends on what mood I am in. Sometimes I
find that it is best to simply drag a photo of a sky
into my canvas and paint on top. But most of the
time I do paint my own skies.
When creating your art, do you have a set
process that you follow each time?
Yes! I mostly spend some time thinking of about
a subject that I would like to paint. At work I am
normally given certain guidelines as to what is
needed. Then I research the subject by looking
at photos or taking a walk with my camera.
Before I start I always do a series of thumbnail
sketches and from there choose the one I think
will work the best.
When creating the final painting, I always begin
by establishing my horizontal eye level. To do
this, I make a sky and then insert a ground. This
could be painted or it could come from photos
page 28www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Interview jan ditlev christensen
that have been fitted to my horizontal line. If I
havent done this on top of my original sketch,
I would then paint my thumbnail back in. This
is where I block in shapes and basically make
a more detailed thumbnail. It is also here that I
make my perspective guidelines so I know that I
am painting using proper perspectives.
Photo textures and photos are transformed into
perspective and overlaid with a High Pass, set
to 28,0. (Filters>Others>High Pass). Now I can
paint underneath my overlaid texture without
adding a darker tone as overlay normally tends
to do.
From here on its a constant flipping of canvas
and refinements which can go on for days
before I sit with a final piece that Im satisfied
with.
Wow! Thats a great answer - almost like a
guide for beginners. Is this process self taught
or were you lucky enough to have someone to
guide you?
It is actually a combination of all kind of things
that Ive learned along the way. One should
always be open to learning more. For me it has
primarily been my education, watching Gnomon
DVDs and working every day to improve my
skills. When I first began to do digital painting
page 29www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
jan ditlev christensen Interview
on the computer I kept crashing and burning.
I copied a lot of other artists work in the hope
that I would begin to understand how they
painted. I then wrote to some of them and asked
if they would look at my work - often forgetting to
mention that it was copy-work of their own work.
I was really surprised how nice Dylan Cole was
about it, given that I had just stolen his work and
asked him to look at it! I guess what I am trying
to say is that as artists, we do fail from time to
time and it is okay as long as we keep pushing
ourselves to improve and refuse to give up.
An image that particularly caught my eye is your
panoramic Hong Kong concept. Can you tell us
a little more about this image?
At the time I did this image I was playing a video
game called Stranglehold, which is a Hong
Kong Action Shooter by film director John Woo.
The game looks a lot like Total Overdose, which
is a game that my company made a couple of
years back.
Anyway, I felt inspired by some of the
environments and went to research them on
Google. The contrasts within Hong Kong was
one of the things that really fascinated me - such
as the concentration of neon lights in contrast
to the dark, poorly-lit buildings - and I made me
want to produce my own image.
page 30www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Interview jan ditlev christensen
This image actually started out as a test I
did when trying out SketchUp 6 (a free 3D
software). This is a fantastic tool for a concept
artist because it is user friendly and enables you
to create worlds within minutes!
Normally in a composition I would try to make
a focal point that would draw the attention. In
many of my personal paintings I tend to go a
little overboard and have way too many details.
Its really true that less is more - and its really
something Im trying to work on.
Do you have any golden rules that you always
try to follow when creating your art?
If Im doing a piece for a given project, my rule is
that it always has to follow the visual conclusion
of the project, but that isnt really needed when
doing personal work. However, I do always
make an effort to make the viewer feel as
present as possible in my environments.
Can you expand a little more on how you
achieve this feeling of presence?
Presence in an image means everything in my
opinion. Mostly I find it in the natural story of the
environments. For instance, it could be how the
grass looks if it has been raining a lot, or how
the earth dries up if it has had too much sun.
Everything we draw or paint has its own story to
it and it is something we, as artists, should be
aware of.
Very nice answer to round off a superb interview
Jan - thanks again for your time, Tom.
Jan Ditlev ChristensenFor more work by this artist please visit:
http://www.janditlev.dk/
Or contact them at:
janditlev@gmail.com
Interviewed by: Tom Greenway
In this article, Joel Carlo tells us about his
approach to drawing and how he works in
his sketchbooks. He talks about some of the
thought processes behind the artwork he has
created and we get to see the images of some
of Carlos best sketchbook works ..
Ive always been fascinated by the human body and anatomy, which is why a good portion of my sketches involve figure studies.
of Joel Carlo
page 34www.2dartistmag.com
Sketchbook Joel Carlo
Issue 030 June 2008
IntroductionIf Im being completely honest, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship
with sketching. While I love the noncommittal approach to drawing that
sketching provides, I do tend to treat it like an unappreciated girlfriend at
times. Dont get me wrong, I really do enjoy sketching just in sort of that
on again, off again, dysfunctional relationship kind of way.
Ive also never been the kind of artist who babys a sketchbook. In fact, if
my sketchbooks were children, Id probably be in prison right now. I think
I have three or four sketchbooks, one of which actually has art work in it...
but even thats debatable! The others are just for writing down addresses
or phone numbers, and I think one is now a sort of coaster/plate hybrid to
put food and beverages on while I work.
Regardless, Ive managed to save a few sketches over the last few
years, which 2DArtist has kindly allowed me to present in this months
sketchbook feature. I hope you enjoy them! Joel
Anatomy Lesson Series: The TorsoI did these master studies a while back, for Rebecca Kimmels Anatomy
Lesson series. Rebecca runs the artistic anatomy forum at CGTalk and,
although I havent been as active in the forum as I once was, its still one
of my favourite places to hang out and participate online.
page 36www.2dartistmag.com
Sketchbook Joel Carlo
Issue 030 June 2008
page 38www.2dartistmag.com
Sketchbook Joel Carlo
Issue 030 June 2008
page 40www.2dartistmag.com
Sketchbook Joel Carlo
Issue 030 June 2008
page 42www.2dartistmag.com
Sketchbook Joel Carlo
Issue 030 June 2008
Animal AnatomiesA while back I wrote an article about animal
anatomies and how they have been integrated
with popular creatures of myth and folklore. It
was a fun project and a chance for me to sketch
a subject other than my normal figurative work.
page 43 Issue 030 June 2008
Joel Carlo Sketchbook
www.2dartistmag.com
page 44www.2dartistmag.com
Sketchbook Joel Carlo
Issue 030 June 2008
Facial FeaturesThese sketches were created for an article I wrote on
drawing the head and facial features.
page 45 Issue 030 June 2008
Joel Carlo Sketchbook
www.2dartistmag.com
Figure StudiesIve always been fascinated by the human
body and anatomy, which is why a good
portion of my sketches involve figure studies.
page 48www.2dartistmag.com
Sketchbook Joel Carlo
Issue 030 June 2008
page 50www.2dartistmag.com
Sketchbook Joel Carlo
Issue 030 June 2008
Portrait StudiesMiscellaneous portrait studies.
page 52www.2dartistmag.com
Sketchbook Joel Carlo
Issue 030 June 2008
Misc.Miscellaneous sketches.
page 53 Issue 030 June 2008
Joel Carlo Sketchbook
www.2dartistmag.com
Sculpting Digital Characters with Cesar Dacol JrThese character concepts were created for Ceasr Dacol Jr.s Sculpting
Digital Characters workshop on CGtalk. Although I did not have the
time to model out a finished 3D character, these sketches helped me out
tremendously throughout the workshop. Its a perfect example of how well
planned sketching can sometimes be a solid foundation for you to build
your work on.
Joel Carlo For more information please visit:
www.joelcarlo.net
Or contact:
joelcarlo@gmail.com
This month we feature:
Kerem Beyit
Morgan Yon
Stephen Cooper
Rodny Mella
Michael Kutsche
Min Hyuk Yum
John Wallin Liberto
Levente Peterffy
Robin Olausson
Maria Trepalina
page 56www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
10 of the Best The Galleries
Out of BlueKerem Beyit
www.theartofkerembeyit.com
kerembeyit@hotmail.com
CeremonyMorgan Yon
www.morgan-yon.com
morgan.yon@gmail.com
Alien CaveMin Hyuk Yum
www.minart.net
minyum@gmail.com
GardenLevente Peterffy
www.leventep.com
lp@leventep.com
page 60www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
10 of the Best The Galleries
Vertical JunctionStephen Cooper
www.plantman.org
stephen_john_cooper@hotmail.com
Unreal Tournament III Concept: DenyJohn Wallin Liberto
www.johnwallin.net
info@johnwallin.net
Jamukha, Got Milk?Rodny Mella
www.rodnymella.com
gigsmella@hotmail.com
Ape CommanderMichael Kutsche
www.mistermk.de/
mk3000@gmx.net
page 64www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
10 of the Best The Galleries
Fanart: Heroes of Might And Magic VMaria (Ketka) Trepalina
www.ketka.ru
art@ketka.ru
Sun WukongRobin Olausson
www.robin.reign.se/gallery
tv1000@spray.se
In Association with
2DArtist Magazine introduces the
Challenge section of the mag. Every
month we will run challenges, available
for anyone to enter for prizes and goodies
from the www.3dtotal.com shop and also
to be featured in this very magazine! The
2D challenge runs in the ConceptArt.org
forums, and the 3D challenge runs in the
Threedy.com forums. Here we will display
the winners from the previous months
challenge and the Making Ofs from the
month before that!
cavemanStylised Challenge
page 68www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Stylised Challenge caveman
The ChallengeWelcome to the Stylised Monthly Challenge.
Each month we will select a subject and post
some images in the forum thread as reference.
All you have to do is create a 2D image of this
subject in a stylised/abstract/cartoon style,
whilst keeping your entry instantly recognisable.
We wanted to publish some content in 2DArtist
Magazine on how to create stylised subjects,
such as animals and characters, such as you
see in the many feature films and cartoon
galleries. We thought this regular competition
might bring in just the images and Making
Ofs that we need, whilst giving away great
prizes and exposure. This months subject was
Caveman. Here you can see the top nine
entries, as voted for by the public!
What are we looking for?Funny and humorous entries that break the
character down into its most recognisable
components. Emphasise these in whichever
ways you wish and render your stylised/abstract/
cartoon masterpiece. The rules are pretty laid
back: please submit 1 x 2D render (minor post
work is OK). Its up to you if you want to have
a background or if you want include some
StylisedChallenge
CAVEMAN
9th uct
9th brather
9th atlantik
8th shattered fx
6th tyjohn
graphical elements or text on your image.
Renders of the 800 pixel dimension sound about
right, but the winners will be featured in 2DArtist
Magazine, so if you can create some higher
resolution images too, all the better!
There will be one competition per month with the
deadline being the end of the month (GMT). For
a valid entry, just make sure your final image is
posted in the main competition thread before
the deadline. We require the top three winners
to submit Making Of overview articles that will 7th tuovniaugusto.goicoechea@
gmail.com
pberkovski@ gmail.com
page 69 Issue 030 June 2008
caVeman Stylised Challenge
www.2dartistmag.com
5th jpedro
4th monstertree 3rd loztvampir
6th paweu
george@monstertree.comwww.monstertree.blogspot.com
paweu@ht.pl
joewiegts@yahoo.comwww.loztvampir3.deviantart.com
page 70www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Stylised Challenge caveman
1st chuck, mate
be shown on either 3DTotal.com or in 2DArtist Magazine. These need
to show the stages of your creation, different elements, and some brief
explanation text of why, and how, you did what you did. We will format this
into some nice-looking pages to give you some great exposure, and us
some quality content!
Each competition will have one main thread which starts with the brief at
the top. All entrants should post all WIPs, give feedback, and generally
laugh at the crazy ideas that are emerging each month!
Challenge ThreadThe entire Caveman competition can be viewed here!The current challenge at the voting stage is: Carnivorous PlantThe current challenge taking place is: Space Rocket
To join the next challenge, or to view previous
and/or current entries, please visit:
www.conceptart.org
Or contact: lynette@zoopublishing.com
2nd tommoy info@thecartoonfactory.nl
http://www.thecartoonfactory.nl
pat2003b@yahoo.comhttp://www.chuckmate.blogspot.com
page 71 Issue 030 June 2008
caVeman Stylised Challenge
www.2dartistmag.com
3D ChallengeHere are last months top entries from the
3D competition:
2nd Siege1st Mr_Lemon
1st Draleto
page 72www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Stylised Challenge caveman
Making OfsHere are the Making Of from last months top
three winning entries...
3rd TOMMOY
STEP 1This was the first time I joined in on the
Super Stylised Challenge in the ConceptArt.
org forums. I started with the idea of making
a serious, traditional executioner using the
references provided in the challenge thread. It
was important to me for the axe to be big and
ready for the job! Accordingly, the Executioner
also needed to be strong (especially his arms)
in order to swing the axe; a slightly relaxed pose
should give him an extra Im ready for it! mood.
The huge arms resting on the axe and the back
of the figure form a well balanced triangle in
the centre, guiding the eye to the focal points:
the figures head primarily and the axe blade
secondary. The hunch gives him a kind of
medieval accent, and the large belly is a nice
counterweight for that. I hesitated about the cap
as I wondered whether it should cover all of his
head or just half of it. I decided to go for the last
option so I could give him some expression on
the face and, of course, a little scar (Fig.01).
STEP 2I started to block in the shapes, first of all in
grey tones, then in colour. I decided it would
be a dark scene lit only by the moon for some
dramatic lighting effects (Fig.02). This came
out very bluish, so I added the fire as an extra
light source for a nice contrast. For the fireplace
I used a photograph, of which I enlarged the
medieval sphere. Further detailing of the
shapes was given, and I then decided I needed
a wooden floor. For this, I used a photograph
which I transformed on a Multiply layer so that
it would fit the perspective from the bottom. For
the moon and wood block, I also used textures. I
blurred the parts outside of the focal points to let
them protrude more. Finally, I decided to give a
little red light to his eyes for contrast (Fig.03).
Tom van WanrooyFor more work by this artist please visit:
http://www.thecartoonfactory.nl
Or contact them at:
info@thecartoonfactory.nl
page 74www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Stylised Challenge caveman
2nd DaveNeale Well, another month, another stylised challenge
its become a regular monthly exercise
that I really enjoy, and this month was a nice
fun change from animals, which Im more
comfortable with, to a human character.
I started out in my sketchbook with the main aim
of having an interesting face for the guy. I seem
to gravitate towards characters with long, drawn-
out faces and this one fits the bill for a character
I really enjoy doing. I scanned the initial drawing
in and added the lower part of his body in
Photoshop. The pose is very reminiscent of Sam
Flores work I love his stuff (Fig.01).
So I whacked the sketch layer over everything
and set it to Multiply so I always had my lines to
refer too, and just slapped some colour down
with the aim of getting the general lighting right.
Things always go through a lot of changes
when I work like this; its just good to have some
frame of reference colour-wise in the beginning
(Fig.02).
Its something Im trying hard to do more and
this piece was good practice. I started to slap
down large forms and get the overall light/darks
in order to try and get a cohesive feel for the
whole image, rather than concentrate on little
areas at a time. Its tempting to start adding
details early, but the more I read tutorials, the
more I hear that its more important to cycle all
around the image and do things all together,
rather than concentrate on sections (Fig.03).
I continued to refine forms, and you can see that
Ive flipped the canvas here, too something
that I do a lot to get a fresh perspective on the
image! (Fig.04)
I then started to add some detail to the head,
as well as adding some other colours so as not
to just have a crazy green image. I added the
colour with a new layer set to Color, which lets
page 75 Issue 030 June 2008
caVeman Stylised Challenge
www.2dartistmag.com
you add different hues without messing with
your values (Fig.05).
I decided that the bright green was a little too
over-the-top and so toned it down. I was also
playing a lot with the light/darkness, trying to
get the right balance I usually do these using
Image > Adjustments > Levels (Fig.06).
Again, playing with the light, I upped the
saturation and strength of the light by his head
to get a little more contrast in the image, and
I knew that the head was definitely where I
wanted the focus of the picture (Fig.07).
I then made the choice to jump right in with colour: I added some fleshy
tones and purpled-up his top/mask. I was careful to keep some of my
greens in there, to keep the character and the background sitting in the
same place rather than it looking like a background with another character
sitting on top (Fig.08).
Finally, I darkened everything up. I wanted a lot more contrast between
the light/dark areas, and I also changed the paint strokes in the
background to give a more painterly feel, as I felt the strokes before were
a little harsh.
And biggiddy-bam, all done! As ever, I learnt a lot from this; recently Ive
been trying to keep my layer count to a minimum and, especially with a
more painterly piece like this, I find it really helps. I still have a lot to learn
but its all part of the process, I guess. Cheerio!
Dave NealeFor more work by this artist please visit:
http://www.daveneale.co.uk
Or contact them at:
davejneale@hotmail.com
page 77 Issue 030 June 2008
caVeman Stylised Challenge
www.2dartistmag.com
1st Chuck,mate
Step 1I started with a sketch, searching for a good stylised character design,
something thatd say executioner to me. I drew him fat and bulky, striking
a pose with his weapon of execution a big axe with a look on his face
that says Look ... this is my day job, alright? At home, with the missus, Im
actually cute and cuddly, like a big teddy-bear I kept his outfit simple
and effective, and I placed him at the bottom of my frame, leaving some
breathing space to the right, in the direction my main figure is facing
(Fig.01).
Step 2Under my sketch work layer, on a new layer set to Multiply, I filled in the
entire image with a dark green and painted in some scattered reds and
oranges, too. That made for a good underpainting, and set the colour
scheme and mood for the piece throughout its making.
On a new Normal mode layer I then started painting in my general mid-
tone for the executioners body and face, using a brown-orange colour. I
also filled in with a solid really dark brown for the leather hood, boots
and wrist bands. My initial underpainting was left peeking to create the
cast shadow areas and the parts of the shape and form where light wont
reach.
This stage defined my light source direction and intensity (Fig.02).
Step 3I merged all my layers and started painting on top of the preliminary work.
I used lighter oranges and yellows to further define the muscle structure
and shapes for my figure. I applied a dark brown colour for the pants and
I further painted in the hands and face, adding more detail. I then used
lighter versions of the background colour to paint in the axe head, to
imply its material (metal, reflecting the surroundings, rather than having a
colour of its own). Finally, I added some wear and tear to the axe as well
(Fig.03).
Step 4At this point I increased my image contrast and I painted in a lighter colour
around the character to separate it a bit more from the background. With
the same colour I further defined the light cast on the ground around
the executioners feet. Doing the opposite thing around the axe (using a
page 78www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Stylised Challenge cavemandarker colour to further emphasise the lighter tones in the weapon) made
it pop out a bit more, as well. I filled in a new layer set to Color with a
red-purple colour, and I lowered the layer opacity to 8-9. This gathered
all my colours so far and made for a more together colour scheme
(Fig.04).
Step 5 - FinalFinally, I added more detail to the face (a bluish grey for the 5-oclock
shadow etc.), the hands and elbows (painting some reds into it), the axes
wooden handle, and the pants (more refined patterns and details).
I also added some bloody trails on the ground, suggesting more of this
guys occupation and on a new layer set to Overlay, I used white to
brighten the parts where light hit the most, both
on my figure and on the ground. I also painted
the background with more refined brushwork,
introducing some warm colours to the cold initial
underpainting in order to make all the elements
in my image speak with each other a little
better.
Finally, I painted the Mom tattoo onto the guys
arm as a finishing touch (Fig.05).
And that, in a nutshell, was the whole deal!
Patri BalanovskyFor more work by this artist please visit:
http://www.chuckmate.blogspot.com
Or contact them at:
pat2003b@yahoo.com
Intro Text
Welcome to the Speed Painting section of the
magazine. Weve asked two artists this month
to produce a speed painting based on a simple,
one-line brief. Here we feature the final paintings
and the overview of the creation processes.
This month our talented artists, Nick Oroc and
Marc Brunet, tackle the topic:
page 82www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
It was a long way up but they had no choice but to continue climbing SPEED PAINTING
Created In:Photoshop
The idea behind this subject matter came to me
while I was reminiscing about my childhood in
the Mediterranean. I remember playing with a
type of vegetation on which some kind of fragile
cherry grew. These delicate cherries would
explode with a mere touch and splatter me with
whatever liquid they contained. Luckily for me
they werent poisonous.
My main thoughts behind this speed painting
consisted of: exploding cherry, teamwork,
altitude, and especially humour. I wanted to
create a team effort of two venturers climbing
from one vegetation platform to another using
nothing but rope, a spear and exploding
cherries. I also wanted to create a directional
focal point depicting the height they had to scale
to get from one platform to another.
In Fig.01, I roughed out a composition. I
personally dont like working on a white canvas
so a simple grey tone gradient solved that
problem. Doing so also helps me gauge my
values. Using a freehand perspective guide,
I blocked in some silhouetted shapes. This is
the stage where I dont think about detail, only
composition. Its fast and easy and can be done
in a matter of a minutes.
Fig.01-A displays the six brushes I used to
create this painting. Brush A is a standard hard
edge, round brush and the rest are part of my
collection of custom brushes that Ive created
over the years. As you can see I selected a
small range of organic looking brushes that
appealed to me and I knew would allow me
to render out my scene very quickly. Creating
the brush settings is a very personal thing.
Whats important to keep in mind is simply to
experiment and save the brushes. Create a
folder with a library of these brushes for easy
access and just load them up in Photoshop
depending on the subject matter you will paint.
When Im unsure of a colour palette, I start
off with a value painting. Its a safe and quick
approach that allows me to knock out an image
but not worry too much about colour. Fig.02
illustrates this step. This stage took me about
40 minutes to produce. With my base sketch
underneath and composition set, all I had to
page 83www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
SPEED PAINTING It was a long way up but they had no choice but to continue climbing some texture brushes. (Fig.03). Notice how the
colours are darker and warmer on the bottom
left, and brighten and get cooler as I worked my
way up to the top right. My reason for doing this
was to simply create more contrast between the
foreground and the background (warm vs cool).
I then set the painted texture in overlay mode
(Fig.04). This then tinted my background without
losing too much detail in my value painting. The
only problem I have with using the layer overlay
worry about were four things: textures created
by my custom brushes, character posing, depth,
and mood lighting.
Once I was content with the value painting, it
was time to add colour. I try to keep my layers
very minimal to maximize desktop speed and
also to not get lost in lots of different layers.
I created a new layer over my value painting
and just started painting some colours using
mode is that the colours get pretty dull and
washed out. But its a good base to start with.
Fig.05 was the stage where I started to bring
back to life those colours that had become very
dull by simply colour picking them, increasing
the saturation, and glazing lightly over the
coloured areas to liven them up.
Fig.06 is the final stage where I started to add
some particle effects, finishing details, and I
sharpened up the image.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as did
creating it. Always make sure that you have
fun with every piece that you create and make
lots of happy mistakes. Keep things simple
without deviating too far from your main goal -
illustrating an idea.
Nick OrocFor more from this artist visit:
www.nickorocart.com
Or contact:
nickoroc@gmail.com
page 85www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
SPEED PAINTING It was a long way up but they had no choice but to continue climbing
Created In:Photoshop
IntroductionAs artists, one question we often get is: Where
do you get ideas for your pieces?. Normally
I always have something in mind when I start
a piece and that idea itself it triggered, most
of the time, by something I will see browsing
the Internet as I think it is one of the best
sources for inspiration. But when it comes to
speed painting, things are not quite the same.
At the very start of the process, I will skip a
key step which is building and defining my
idea. I think that is what makes speed painting
really interesting; you just go and start, having
absolutely no clue where youre going.
Shaping things upHaving no idea what to do normally forces me
into painting very abstract shapes as a start.
I then build upon those shapes and ideas will
start to flow. In this particular case, I know at
least two things; I want to have a sky in there
somewhere and I want to draw rocks. Call
those self imposed guidelines or whatever, Im
just feeling that way today I guess. After only a
couple of brush strokes, I normally start to get
a clearer idea of where this is all going and this
painting was no exception: it became clear very
quickly that the subject would be a mountain
of some sort. The theme being It was a long
way up but they had no choice but to continue
climbing, I am now kind of going in the direction
I told myself I would not. I wanted to come
up with something a little out of the ordinary,
so that when people look at it they would tell
themselves Well I wouldnt have thought about
something like that!. Ill have to do something
about that! (Fig.01)
Then there was light!Light is always a very important part of any
painting I do. It helps set the mood of the piece,
determine the time of the day, the temperature
but is also a double edged sword: if you screw
it up, the whole piece will end up looking like
an ugly butt. At this point in a speed painting,
you just live with what you have so far and try
to make it look like something interesting. So
far two things are already decided: the light is
coming from the left and its a very sunny day.
Painting lights is always a challenge for the
brain; you have to put yourself in the suns point
of view and try to imagine what you see and
what you do not. Things you see will obviously
be lit, while the rest will be in the shadows.
Because I feel my composition is a little boring,
Ill use light to improve it and bring the viewers
eyes to wherever I want in the image. Its like
subtle mind control. Genius? Yes. (Fig.02)
page 86www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
It was a long way up but they had no choice but to continue climbing SPEED PAINTING
The paletteJust as lighting the scene is crucial, the colour palette is even more so. In
this case, like in most, the colours take their importance when the lights
are set. Only then you can tell from which direction the backlights are
coming from, how the ambient light is affecting the colours and so on. In
this painting I have a very bright sun hitting the left of the cliff, so I want to
have some colours on the other side to make sure I do not have too big
of a bright/dark contrast going on. This is all considering the fact that the
cliff is not really the focal point of the image. With the two characters Im
planning to add, I really dont want anything else to steal the show. Best
solution in this case is to boost the refraction from the sky on the rocks.
If you think about it, those rocks in the shadows are still being lit by the
subtle blue light coming from the sky. (Fig.03)
CompositionI like what the composition looks like so far, but
Im starting to think I might have a problem when
the characters are done. I want them to be the
focal point of the image, but Im thinking at the
same time that I really want to give the image
the feeling they still have a long way to go -
emphasise the height of the mountain. Normally
any characters I was planning to put in should
have been blocked in already at this point, to
avoid such composition tweaking this far into the
process. (Fig.04)
With the little men finally thrown in there, Im
able to see my options better. All I had to add to
fix the composition were a few simple huts with
a really punchy red, leading the eyes all the way
to the top. (Fig.05)
ConclusionAll that is left now is about 30 minutes of
tweaking and polishing to make it look a little
more decent. For the entire piece, I used four
custom brushes, no textures or anything else. I
like to be able to paint everything myself, but at
the same time, it helps to develop speed without
relying on your custom brush sets too much. I
also used a single layer for everything, which
helps to give it that painted look (Fig.05).
About halfway into the process, I came up with
the idea that something dangerous was chasing
them from the bottom, which is why they were
climbing. It was only at the end that I fixed in my
mind what these creatures were: lava monsters,
coming out of an overflowing lava river
surrounding the mountain. Being distracted,
those two unlucky folks got stuck in a bad
situation, trying to escape to save their lives.
Now youll ask me: Why is the one in yellow not
helping his friend? Ill tell you why - hes not his
friend, alright?!
mARC BRUNETFor more from this artist visit:
http://bluefley.cgsociety.org
Or contact:
finalxii@msn.com
As this series draws to a close, Tiberius Viris
shares with us some matte painting tips and
tricks ...
Matte Painting is all about mimicking
photography. We dont try to reproduce how
the human eye sees the environments but
rather how the camera captures them.
page 92www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Tips & Tricks Matte Painting
Created In:Photoshop
IntroductionHere we are at the end of this series, which I
really do hope you have enjoyed. During the
last four months weve walked together through
the process of some basic matte painting
techniques, namely day-to-night (Part 1),
summer-to-winter (Part 2), sunny-to-storm (Part
3) and fire and smoke effects (Part 4). Youve
seen how Photoshop can be a great tool and
how, with only an average knowledge of it, you
can achieve some pretty nice effects!
Shockingly enough, at the end of this series, I
come to tell you that matte painting isnt actually
just about Photoshop, and all that I have shown
you has just been basics which are meant
to give you a taste and to get your attention.
You are now standing at the beginning of a
wonderful road, but you must know that matte
painting is much more than photo manipulation
and, as the name suggests, involves a lot of
art theory and real world understanding, too!
Thats why now, in this last part, we will try to
understand such aspects and see what matte
painting really stands for! So here we go
1. OriginsMatte painting is all about mimicking
photography. We dont try to reproduce how the
human eye sees the environments but rather
how the camera captures them.
Traditional matte painting was developed
initially around 1959 for the movies and was
done optically, by painting (literally) on top of a
piece of glass to be composited with the original
footage hence the name matte painting
(painting done on glass with a mask = matte).
Nowadays, digital matte painting is less about
painting and more about virtual set creation,
yet it retains its old name because it shares the
same goal with its grandfather.
Matte painted scenes are used widely for any
kind of application that requires a virtual set.
But, of course, movies are still where they
are used the most; the goal being to produce
realistic environments (sets) where actors can
perform naturally, as if they were really there.
2. Playing by the RulesAll the rules from traditional art are transferred
here and, in addition, a matte painter has the
difficult task of making everything photorealistic.
There are several elements that tell the eye
hes watching something that exists (even if it
doesnt):
Depth: This is the natural progression of
colours and focus that you see in nature. In
the distance, elements have less saturation
and contrast and details are harder to spot.
In the extreme distance you will only notice
two shades (highlights and shadows), while
page 93www.2dartistmag.com Issue 030 June 2008
Matte Painting Tips & Tricks
the objects tend to have a bluish tone, due to
the heavy atmosphere filtering. On the other
hand, the foreground (meaning the objects that
are close to you) has normal saturation and
contrast, full black levels and you can see all the
details in them.
Lighting: While this is obvious in nature, one has
to be careful when creating a matte painting so
that all the highlights and shadows match the
source light and direction.
Scale: Again, its very important to match the
scale of every element. You dont want a tree
to be as tall as mountain, even if it might sound
cool in a fantasy setting!
3. DepthI. In Real World
Depth, or better said the way an object behaves
with distance, is one of the most essential
aspects of realism. This includes two sub-
aspects:
1 - how sharpness is affected;
2 - how colour and contrast recedes/fades
The first one is of less importance for us (but not
unimportant!). Its the classic photographic depth
of field; whereas, on normal shutter settings,
objects that are farther away are blurred. How
much or how less varies from scene to scene.
The second one is more delicate and its the
main issue we are interested in. (Fig.01a and
Fig.01b)
In a normally lit environment, the objects in the
foreground have a high contrast, high levels
of black and high saturation, while the objects
in the distance tend to fade towards the colour
of the atmosphere because theres more air
between our eye and them, which acts as a
filter and only lets certain light frequencies pass
through (light is an electromagnetic wave, by
the way!). This translates into low contrast, high
brightness and low saturation. Youll tend to
know this effect as haze.
Take a look again at the following image
and see the explanations. Of course, this
is something that applies to Earth and our
atmospheric observation. If you create an alien
world matte painting then take into consideration
how atmosphere behaves there when deciding
upon how much haze you should have.(Fig.02)
II. Mimic
Creating haze is quite easy, and there are many
ways to do it. Out of these ways, two seem to
suit almost every situation:
1 - If you have many different layers (e.g. a layer
for a left mountain, another for the mid one, and
another for the far right cliff, etc.), which is the
best way to work? Simply select each layer and
apply a solid colour adjustment layer on top.
Choose the colour of the sky (use the colour
picker its the fastest way to do it!) and reduce
the opacity according to the distance. (E.g. for
a very distant mountain you may use 50-60%,
but for a mid one